Arthur Aravena Movies
Inspired by a New Yorker story, "Jumpers," written by Tad Friend, director Eric Steel decided to train cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge over the course of 2004 to capture the people who attempted to leap off the famed structure, the site of more suicides than anywhere else in the world. He also tracked down and interviewed the friends, family members, and eyewitnesses to further recreate the events leading up to the incident and to try to explain what led these people to want to kill themselves, especially at this specific site. The documentary's primary subjects all struggled with mental illness, including severe depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders, and the documentary struggles to understand their illness while illuminating the anger and hurt of their loved ones. Most questions remain unanswered, turning on the darker recesses of the mind. The shots of the bridge wreathed in fog turn the Golden Gate into a metaphor for a bridge between life and death, sanity and mental disturbance, and extreme isolation and connection with society. Though the camera crew worked with a set of guidelines, including that they would call in someone they thought was going to jump, the documentary still includes lengthy footage of the moments leading up to and including the suicides, so discretion is advised for sensitive viewers. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Hines, Patrick Hines, (more)
A road trip rolls through a small town where the line between the dead and the living has become a bit problematic in this horror parody. A handful of twentysomethings are driving to Galveston, TX, in an RV to attend the wedding of a close friend. After a long day on the road, the travelers find themselves in a tiny town called Lovelock, where the only available accommodations are at a bed and breakfast run by the eccentric Mr. Wise (David Carradine). One of the kids, Johnny (Oz Perkins), notices that Mr. Wise is carefully looking after a small box; curious about its contents, Johnny opens it, only to unleash a torrent of evil spirits who turn the local rednecks into bloodthirsty creatures hovering somewhere between life and death. Dead & Breakfast features supporting performances by Portia de Rossi, Diedrich Bader, Jeremy Sisto, and David Carradine's daughter Ever Carradine; co-star Oz Perkins is also the offspring of a well-known actor, Anthony Perkins. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ever Carradine, Brent David Fraser, (more)
Originally titled Gamma 693, The Chilling emulates Night of the Living Dead, but falls somewhat short of that horror classic. In exotic Kansas City, several corpses lie frozen in a morgue. Comes the inevitable thaw, and the city is overrun with zombies. And, yes, they subsist on human flesh. Troy Donahue, Linda Blair, and Dan Haggerty are among the Z-picture perennials appearing in this messy meller. Ostensibly a 1989 release, The Chilling gives evidence of having been made much earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Dan Haggerty, (more)
